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NBA to install motion cameras in every arena

The NBA announced Thursday that it will install motion-tracking cameras in every arena this season to provide coaches, players and fans reams of data aimed at pulling back the curtain on what it takes to

The NBA announced Thursday that it will install motion-tracking cameras in every arena this season to provide coaches, players and fans reams of data aimed at pulling back the curtain on what it takes to succeed at basketball's highest level.

The NBA has partnered with STATS on the SportVU cameras, and the relationship has grown from a single arena during the 2009 NBA Finals into a league-wide initiative that will be up and ready for the start of this season. The technology can monitor every move a player makes on the court, gauge how tired he is and can even keep an eye on the job referees are doing.

The project makes the NBA the first professional basketball league in the world, and the first sports league in the USA, to use the technology to analyze player movement.

"At this point, given the value of the data both at the team level and the league level, and the promise that it holds for unlocking some of the secrets for what makes great basketball teams, both for our basketball operations people and for our fans at home, we thought it was the right time to make it a league-wide effort," NBA executive vice president of operations and technology Steve Hellmuth said.

The system of six cameras and accompanying software that delivers the data was first used in Orlando during the 2009 finals between the Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers. Over the last three years, 15 teams purchased the system from STATS, which is owned jointly by The Associated Press and 21st Century Fox, to put to use in their home arenas, arming themselves with data that could be tailored virtually any way teams want.

Want to see how successful Ricky Rubio was at guarding Russell Westbrook? The system could break down the shooting percentages and results of each head-to-head possession.

Want to get an idea how close to 100 percent Kevin Love was in his first few games back from a broken hand? The system could send information to the team trainers and doctors about his endurance and how quickly he is tiring during a game, thereby painting the most accurate picture possible of his recovery.

Want to see how many times Al Jefferson touched the ball on the left block in the first half? The system could send information to an iPad that showed the location of every one of his possessions and allowed coaches to make adjustments on the fly.

"It's gone from an interesting concept to actually something that's allowing them to take action on a daily basis," STATS Vice President Brian Kopp said. "That was the big change that we knew we needed to make in order for this to be adopted by the teams. What we always wanted to do was to be at this point and have a partnership with the league itself."

29. Nate Robinson, Chicago Bulls to Denver Nuggets: After an outstanding postseason, Robinson was expected to draw more interest in free agency. But he will be an important reserve for the Nuggets.
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28. Metta World Peace, Los Angeles Lakers to New York Knicks: The headline-making small forward hits the Big Apple, where he’s sure to cause a stir. World Peace may even find himself starting for the Knicks after being cut by the Lakers.
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27. Mike Dunleavy, Milwaukee Bucks to Chicago Bulls: One of the best buys of free agency, the sharpshooter should be a great complement to Derrick Rose’s drives off the bench.
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25. Corey Brewer, Denver Nuggets to Minnesota Timberwolves: The small forward returns to where his NBA career started and seemed to fizzle. But Brewer improved a lot last season in a sixth man role he should reprise.
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24. Thomas Robinson, Houston Rockets to Portland Trail Blazers: The No. 5 pick of the 2012 draft already has been traded twice, but the former Kansas power forward has a lot of potential. Will he mature enough to put it together?
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23. Jared Dudley, Phoenix Suns to Los Angeles Clippers: After five years of quietly establishing himself in Phoenix, the small forward should be a starter and key support piece for the contending Clippers. He came over in the same three-team trade as J.J. Redick.
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21. Jarrett Jack, Golden State Warriors to Cleveland Cavaliers: After finishing second in sixth man of the year voting last season, Jack will back up oft-injured Kyrie Irving for the now-loaded Cavaliers.
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20. J.J. Redick, Milwaukee Bucks to Los Angeles Clippers: After a half-season in Milwaukee, one of the NBA’s best shooters will be a perfect role player for the contending Clippers.
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19. Greivis Vasquez, New Orleans Pelicans to Sacramento Kings: An accessory in the Tyreke Evans sign-and-trade deal, Vasquez led the NBA last season with 704 assists (9.0 a game).
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17. Monta Ellis, Milwaukee Bucks to Dallas Mavericks: The enigmatic gunslinger didn’t get the money he hoped for in free agency, but he landed with a Mavericks team that could use his scoring from the perimeter.
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16. Eric Bledsoe, Los Angeles Clippers to Phoenix Suns: After three years developing behind Chris Paul, Bledsoe was traded and could start at either guard spot for the Suns as a top scoring threat.
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15. Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings to New Orleans Pelicans: The 2009-10 rookie of the year was stuck in a rut with the Kings, but a sign-and-trade deal could give him new life with the emerging Pelicans.
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14. Luis Scola, Phoenix Suns to Indiana Pacers: One of the most basketball-savvy power forwards in the game, Scola will take a bench role with the Pacers, happy to have been traded to a contender.
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13. Andrei Kirilenko, Minnesota Timberwolves to Brooklyn Nets: He’ll make a third of what he could have with the T’wolves, but the Russian small forward is going to be an essential part of the Nets as a defensive leader and versatile reserve.
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12. O.J. Mayo, Dallas Mavericks to Milwaukee Bucks: After breaking out while Dirk Nowitzki was injured, Mayo earned another shot at being a star and should lead the Bucks in scoring this year.
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11. Kevin Martin, Oklahoma City Thunder to Minnesota Timberwolves: The best shooter on the market, Martin leaves the Thunder with a hole on the bench after getting a better offer from the T’wolves.
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10. Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks to Detroit Pistons: The headstrong point guard helped carry the Bucks to the playoffs, but that relationship has long been fractured. In acquiring Jennings in a sign-and-trade, he Pistons are taking the gamble that he’ll become more of a passer and improve his 39.9% shooting.
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9. Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz to Atlanta Hawks: The efficient but underrated power forward steps out of Al Jefferson’s shadow and onto a team in flux. The Hawks could be a playoff team even after losing Joe Johnson and Josh Smith in consecutive years, and Millsap will have a chance to prove his value on a two-year contract.
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8. Andrew Bynum, Philadelphia 76ers to Cleveland Cavaliers: The biggest risk of free agency landed with a team deep enough to afford it. Bynum could be one of the five best centers in the NBA and worthy of the No. 2 spot on this list if he bounces back from the knee injuries that sidelined him all of last season.
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7. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics to Brooklyn Nets: The biggest benefactor of the sweeping Celtics-Nets trade of draft night may have been Garnett, who at 37 could no longer carry Boston nightly. He will fit well with Brook Lopez and Andray Blatche, as both a mentor and a still-potent post player.
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6. Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz to Charlotte Bobcats: The Bobcats are tired of the cellar, and adding one of the best post scorers in the NBA should solve that issue. Jefferson is a prototypical back-to-the-basket anchor, by far the best the Bobcats have had in their decade of existence.
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5. Jrue Holiday, Philadelphia 76ers to New Orleans Pelicans: The All-Star point guard was traded on draft day as the 76ers reached out for Nerlens Noel and next year's Pelicans first-rounder. Now his goal is to help a revamped team ensure that pick isn't worth much.
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4. Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks to Detroit Pistons: Landing the third-largest contract of free agency behind Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, the lifelong Atlantan will have to adjust to cold weather and new teammates. But the talented combo forward can play on both ends and should vault Detroit to the playoffs.
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3. Andre Iguodala, Denver Nuggets to Golden State Warriors: Swapping teams in a sign-and-trade, the versatile swingman should give the Warriors what he gave the Nuggets last season en route to the fourth-best record in the NBA. He is a defensive leader and skilled playmaker.
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2. Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics to Brooklyn Nets: The future Hall of Famer still has a lot in his bag of tricks, but he'll be out of a Celtics uniform for the first time in his NBA career. The massive offseason trade turned the Nets into a contender, and Pierce will have to figure out his role on an established roster.
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1. Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers to Houston Rockets: The center signed a four-year, $88 million contract after hearing out pitches from every team with enough money to sign him. He leaves the Lakers in a state of disarray and instantly turns the Rockets into a title contender.
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When only 15 teams were using the technology, scores of games were being missed, which in turn made the sample sizes incomplete. Now, every game and every player will be monitored every night, creating a much more complete database.

"It's really evolved from a high-level concept, something that seemed interesting, to something that could be actionable and used on a daily basis," Kopp said.

And the players aren't the only ones who will be watched by the eye in the sky. Hellmuth said new executive vice president of basketball operations Rod Thorn will be able to use data on referees to more completely evaluate their performances.

Fans will have access to some of the data through presentations by the teams at the arena, on NBA.com and on NBA TV. Hellmuth and Kopp think the most helpful information will come on the defensive end, where stats like blocked shots and steals, while helpful, don't always paint the most accurate picture of the league's best defensive players.

"What this can measure is both shooting efficiency and shooting frequency," Hellmuth said. "When a defender's in the paint or in the area, players can always choose not to shoot when he's in the area. And then also how much does that defender reduce the shooting average of the players he's defending. These are some of the secrets this unlocks."

The algorithms that are used to interpret the data are constantly being refined, Kopp said, and now can identify certain plays — like a pick-and-roll — and defensive rotations. Now that they are poised to have even more data, the strength and breadth of the information the system can provide should only improve, he said.

"I really do think we've just scratched the surface on how we can use this," Kopp said. "I think the next few years will be fun as we have more data to work with."

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Will LeBron James and the Heat win a third consecutive NBA championship? USA TODAY Sports' Adi Joseph would bet on it. But he doesn't predict Miami will have the best record. Here are his NBA regular-season projections, from worst to best.
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30. Philadelphia 76ers (16-66). Thaddeus Young, left, and Evan Turner will be 25 this season. That makes them veterans (and possible trade bait) for a team that seems bound for a high draft pick.
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26. Milwaukee Bucks (30-52). With the backcourt completely reorganized, Larry Sanders, right, and Ersan Ilyasova will have to carry the Bucks. How far can they go after a playoff bid last season?
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25. Charlotte Bobcats (31-51). Owner Michael Jordan injected some energy into the franchise by announcing a name switch back to the Hornets for next season and adding Al Jefferson and Cody Zeller this offseason. But expect another long year on the court, albeit with some strides.
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24. Boston Celtics (32-50). Rajon Rondo, right, will get his chance at being the solo star after the offseason's overhaul. But first he has to return from a knee injury, and until then, Avery Bradley and company will struggle.
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23. Dallas Mavericks (32-50). Dirk Nowitzki, right, and Shawn Marion are the only players left from the Mavs' 2011 championship team. But they're aging, and the roster around them is questionable.
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20. Toronto Raptors (37-45). Rudy Gay, left, and DeMar DeRozan will have the green light, but can they improve their efficiency enough to boost the Raptors to the playoffs?
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19. Minnesota Timberwolves (37-45). Ricky Rubio, right, is one of the faces of a franchise devastated by injuries the past two seasons. If Derrick Williams can contribute and Rubio and Kevin Love (not pictured) can stay healthy, the playoffs should be the next step.
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18. Washington Wizards (38-44). When Bradley Beal, left, and John Wall played together, the Wizards were excellent last season. With health, this could be a key corner-turning year.
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17. Atlanta Hawks (39-43). The Hawks went with a major overhaul this offseason, but they kept young guards Jeff Teague, left, and John Jenkins, who could blossom in his second year.
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16. New Orleans Pelicans (39-43). They have a new nickname, a new court, new jerseys and a 20-year-old in Anthony Davis ready to be the face of a franchise that could sneak into the playoffs after major offseason upgrades.
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15. Detroit Pistons (41-41). The Pistons should be a playoff team again after a four-year absence. Second-year center Andre Drummond, in an increased role, figures to play a big part.
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13. New York Knicks (43-39). The Knicks brought back much of their veteran roster from last season, including Raymond Felton (2), Tyson Chander (6) and star Carmelo Anthon (7). But is it experienced or just old?
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12. Denver Nuggets (43-39). After jettisoning coach George Karl and losing swingman Andre Iguodala and general manager Masai Ujiri, the Nuggets are a lot less threatening. But the team that posted the fourth-best record in the NBA last season has strength up front with Kenneth Faried, right, and JaVale McGee.
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10. Memphis Grizzlies (47-35). Led by Zach Rand,olph, left, Marc Gasol, center and Tony Allen, the Grizziles have one of the toughest rosters in the NBA but overachieved a little last season.
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9. Brooklyn Nets (49-33). Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry (from left) are the headliners as the new additions, but the Nets will lean just as much on Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson (not pictured).
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5. Los Angeles Clippers (55-27). When Chris Paul, right, announced he was staying with fellow face-of-the-franchise Blake Griffin, Clippers fans let out a sigh of relief. When the team added coach Doc Rivers and better wings in the aftermath, championship aspirations began to form for Los Angeles' second team.
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4. Oklahoma City Thunder (58-24). Kevin Durant, right, found out he can't do it all by himself during the playoffs. Luckily, Russell Westbrook should be ready to go for another title push. But the bench is weaker than ever.
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3. Houston Rockets (60-22). How will James Harden, right, and Jeremy Lin play alongside new star Dwight Howard? Expectations are higher than they have been in at least 15 years in Houston.
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2. Miami Heat (61-21). Dwyane Wade, left, Chris Bosh, center, and LeBron James are still around. So yes, the Heat will be excellent. But will they match last season with its 27-game winning streak and amazing finish?
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1. Chicago Bulls (65-17). Why will the Bulls have the best record in the NBA this season? Start with Derrick Rose's return. When he has played, they've excelled, and the roster he returns to after missing last season is better than any other he's played with.
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